Because the state does not track those who leave welfare, it is difficult to know if they have moved on to other taxpayer-funded programs. But social service advocates say the other programs' growth ...

Many welfare programs give greater benefits to unmarried individuals than to a married couple of otherwise identical income. The resulting marriage penalty discourages marriage and rewards single ...

Republicans and Democrats alike decry the lack of oversight for America’s famous antipoverty experiment. ‘Fraud by design.’ ...

But the Trump administration and its One Big Beautiful Bill Act could hold states accountable.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 fundamentally changed the nation's social welfare system, replacing a federal entitlement program for low-income ...

Editor's Note: This article appears in Governing's Fall 2025 Magazine. You can subscribe here. When he ran for president, Bill Clinton promised to “end welfare as we know it.” In 1996, Clinton signed ...